School of Interdisciplinary Studies

Interdisciplinary Studies (B.A., B.S.)

The Bachelors' degrees in Interdisciplinary Studies emphasize a broad learning experience and a wider perspective than that provided by traditional undergraduate majors. They are designed to offer the student the opportunity to participate in an interdisciplinary, coherent, academically sound, and goal-oriented education directly relevant to the student's intellectual development and career aspirations. They are appropriate for those students who seek a thorough grounding in the traditional arts and sciences from an interdisciplinary perspective. Each student in the Interdisciplinary Studies program becomes an active partner in the formulation of his or her program of study, working in consultation with an academic advisor to devise an appropriate individual degree plan. Within the framework of two foundation areas, a university-wide Interdisciplinary Studies sequence, and a multidisciplinary concentration, a student may draw upon the resources of all schools of the university to create a degree program.

Common areas of concentration for the B.A.I.S. are Business Issues, Environmental Studies, Human Resources, International Relations, Law, Public Relations, Urban Studies and courses toward Teacher Certification (EC-6 and 4-8). Graduates have been accepted into graduate programs in Divinity, Environmental Studies, the health professions, Humanities, Interdisciplinary Studies, Law, Management, and Social Sciences. The B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies is selected by students interested in Environmental Studies, the health professions, and other science-related fields. Students interested in pre-health are advised to contact the HPAC (Health Professions Advising Center) during their first semester.

Minors and Double Majors are not allowed in these two Interdisciplinary Studies degrees. In order to make the Interdisciplinary Studies degrees reflect their name, no more than 21 semester credit hours of courses with the same prefix are allowed in the combined major requirements and the 6 semester credit hours of advanced electives. (All courses taught by the Naveen Jindal School of Management courses count as a single prefix.) In the major requirements and 6 semester credit hours of advanced electives, there must be a minimum of 51 semester credit hours of upper-division courses. In the concentration, a minimum of three (3) prefixes must be represented. Please consult an academic advisor for further elaboration.

The two foundations are drawn from the Schools of Arts and Humanities, Behavior and Brain Sciences, Computer Science, Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, Interdisciplinary Studies, Management, and Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

One Concentration: 18 semester credit hours

Each student devises, in consultation with his/her advisor, the topic for the Concentration and selects 18 semester credit hours of course work related to the topic, drawn from at least three academic disciplines.

Foundation I consists of courses taught by the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Computer Science, or Science courses from the School of Behavior and Brain Sciences.

Foundation II is drawn from Arts and Humanities, Behavior and Brain Sciences (if not used for Foundation I), Computer Science (if not used in Foundation I), Economical, Political and Policy Sciences, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Management.

One Concentration: 18 semester credit hours

Each student devises, in consultation with his/her advisor, the topic for the Concentration and selects 18 semester credit hours of course work related to the topic, drawn from at least three academic disciplines. Appropriate IS course work may be selected. Three courses must be science courses and one must be a statistics course.

Highly Recommended

Internships, basic computer skills, foreign languages, international studies, and courses in literature and history, offered by the School of Interdisciplinary Studies are highly recommended in all Interdisciplinary Studies degree plans. Students should consult closely with their advisors on particular areas of interest they wish to include in their programs.

Curriculum Requirements can be fulfilled by other approved courses from accredited institutions of higher education. The courses listed in parentheses are recommended as the most efficient way to satisfy both Core Curriculum and Major Requirements at UT Dallas.

A required Major course that also fulfills a Core Curriculum requirement.

An additional IS course will be taken if BIS 3320 is used to satisfy the Core Curriculum Communication Elective requirement.

It will be 51 semester credit hours if MATH 1314, STAT 1342, and BIS 3320 are taken as part of the students' core curriculum requirements.

An additional (or fourth) ISIS course (science or non-science) will be taken if BIS 3320 is used to satisfy the Core Curriculum Communication Elective requirement.

An additional ISIS course will be taken if BIS 3320 is used to satisfy the Core Curriculum Communication Elective requirement.

Students may elect to substitute MATH 2417 and MATH 2419 for MATH 1325 and MATH 1326 and count two of the semester credit hours as Free Electives.

It will be 51 semester credit hours if MATH 1325, MATH 1326 and BIS 3320 are taken as part of the students' core curriculum requirements.